Brothers In Arms
by midnightphantom13
Summary: After discovering the truth behind his creation, Nick Valentine leaves the Institute feeling more unsure about himself and his place in the world than ever before. So with Piper's help, Nick goes to track down the synth called DiMA in Acadia, learn the truth about his creation, and recruit some extra help in the upcoming battle. (Spin off to Build Me Up From Bones)
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This fic will be set congruently to my main fic _Build Me Up From Bones_ , starting at Chapter 7. I wanted to give readers an insight in Nick's personal growth and self-discovery since the narrative focus for BMUFB is on Nora. I really didn't think I'd make it to Far Harbor considering all of the other plot lines I'm trying to tie up, but I managed to work it in to the end-of-story notes that I want to hit. Reviews, comments, and thoughts are all appreciated.

Chapter 1

"You okay there Nicky?" Piper asked.

The synth sighed and tobacco smoke wafted out through his nostrils and the gaps in his neck.

"I'm as okay as I'll ever be." Nick replied vaguely.

The cold spray from the Atlantic Ocean hit their faces and the wind howled through the small fishing boat rattling straight to Nick's metal bones. Although the cold didn't affect him as much as it would a human being, the poor weather and the miserable conditions weighed on his mind.

"You're thinking about Nora." Piper replied. It wasn't a question but Nick didn't need to tell her that she was right. "Blue will be fine, you know."

Nick nodded. Of course Nora would be fine. She was the Director of the Commonwealth's second biggest threat while preparing for a war with the Commonwealth's first biggest threat. What was there to worry about?

Piper sighed and patted Nick's back. "I'm gonna go inside and warm up before we reach The Island. You may not feel cold, but come inside soon okay? The salt water is gonna rust you to the deck if you stay out here too long."

Piper left and Nick took another drag off his cigarette. The effects of the nicotine did nothing for him, but the hand-to-mouth movement was soothing nonetheless.

Nick replayed his last conversation to Nora over and over in his head.

 _"Nora think about what's at stake. Are you willing to die for the Institute?"_

 _"Yes Nick. I'm willing to die for them."_

 _"Are you sure? Because I don't think they'd think twice about sacrificing you to further their own ends. You are just a means of an end to these people. They don't value human life. They just value progress for the sake of progress."_

 _"Nick, I know it's hard to believe, but there are good people here. I can't —"_

 _"— Dammit Nora! Don't be naive. I just spent hours listening to the proof on those damned tapes. They've kidnapped, tortured, and murdered people! Why are you still protecting them when you don't have to?"_

 _"I'm not protecting them Nick, I'm protecting the synths who have been imprisoned here like you were. The Institute has taken everything from me. I have just as much reason to hate them as you do, but I am choosing to forge a different path."_

Nick clenched his jaw and bit the cigarette filter until it broke apart in his mouth. He sputtered and spit the tobacco over the side and wiped at his face with a red handkerchief.

The thought of Nora dying for the Institute was more than he could bare. He had the memories of a man who had lost his fiancé because she was pulled into events far larger than herself. Nick, Pre-War Nick, had tried to save her. He tried to protect her from the dangers of the world and from Eddie Winter, but he failed.

This Nick Valentine couldn't endure it if he failed too.

He was willing to lay his life down if that meant Nora would live. He was over 150 years old — if the Institute archives were to be believed — and that was far more time than he deserved. But Nora's determination to save the very organization that manipulated her, abused her, and stole her son from her was part of why he loved Nora even though he was angry with her.

Nora held a naiveté about the world. How could she not? She had slept through the bombs dropping. She slept through the starvation, struggle, disease, and pain that people experienced as they tried to rebuild among the ashes of their precious civilization. So it made sense that she'd look at an organization like the Institute and believe that a group of isolated people could go against their nature and let the world in.

Nora was pure and idealistic about the world. Now that she had found her place in the Commonwealth and had come to terms with her son's fate, Nora was determined to act as the Institute's champion. Nick loved her for it for her idealism. The Commonwealth needed more people like her. However, he loathed the Institute taking advantage of that idealism and use it for their own agenda. As the ship cut through the steel grey surf, Nick lit another cigarette and leaned against the railing.

Nick needed this as a distraction. If he couldn't protect Nora, then he couldn't stand by as she willingly threw herself onto the Institute's sword. No, he needed to get her help and he believed — he hoped that help would be found in a place called Acadia. Although his secondary purpose in setting sail across the Atlantic Ocean was to track down a missing girl who had run away from home, Nick Valentine's main purpose was personal.

He was on his way to track down the Institute synth called DiMA and get answers about his own past, and about the Institute's secrets, once and for all.

* * *

Piper's and Nick's arrival to the derelict and waterlogged community of Far Harbor spelled trouble for them from the start.

They met a shrewd white-haired woman named Captain Avery who seemed friendly enough despite her clear exasperation over a local's clear consternation and outright vitriol over their arrival on the island.

"You can't be serious Avery! They're not from here. They shouldn't be trusted." He spat. "And that one," he indicated Nick, "is a disgusting synth."

"That's enough Allen!" She snapped. "Synth or not, these folks haven't done anything to warrant our distrust just yet. I'm not saying we all have to be best friends, but we have bigger problems to deal with than your petty bigoted ideas."

"Look. We're not here to start any trouble. We're looking for a missing girl, her name is Kasumi Nakano. Her mother and father discovered that she's been in contact with some people from this island at a place called Acadia. We just want to find her and bring her home." Nick explained.

Allen spat, "If she's gone to Acadia then she deserves to stay there. That place is full of freaks like you."

Nick exhaled. His skeletal fingers twitched as irritation crackled through his circuits. He was usually a patient man. He had dealt with this type of bigotry and hatred many times before, but something about Allen's relentless hatred ignited his short fuse.

"Look pal," He spat. "We've come an awfully long way to look for a missing girl, but the more you give us a hard time, the longer we'll be on this God-forsaken piece of rock that you call an island. Why don't you just back off and let us do our job?"

The other man was about to open his mouth to retort but a loud foghorn cut off whatever he was about to say.

"Ah dammit. Not again." Captain Avery cursed. Then she looked at Piper and Nick. "You two, get out your guns and follow me up to the hull. You may not think very highly of our island, but if you don't help us, you'll be joining us at the bottom of the ocean when the fog creatures drag our corpses into the murky depths."

Piper glanced at Nick. The synth shrugged and they both did as they were told. They followed Captain Avery up the long wooden staircase and into the town.

Gunfire and explosions sounded around them as Captain Avery brought them to a huge wall that surrounded the town.

The hull, as it was called, was nearly fifteen feet high. The pathway that allowed people to walk on top of it was narrow and it lacked guard rails in some places. Nick made the mistake of looking down and the ground swam a little in front of his face.

"Careful not to fall of the side." Captain Avery remarked. "If the fall doesn't kill you, we might not get to rescue you in time before the gulpers and fog crawlers get to ya."

Nick was about to ask what these fog crawlers were and then he saw it. The beast was almost as tall as the wall. It's hard crustacean-esque shell was slick from the condensation and the fog. Two large arms with lobster-like pincers at the end clicked together. The noise was as loud as a gunshot and Nick was sure that the pincers could slice a man — or synth — in two.

"Get your guns ready." Captain Avery yelled out to the battalion of people who were stationed on the hull. "Wait for my order to fire."

"Nicky…" Piper whispered in abject horror, "… what the hell is this place?"

"FIRE!"

Nick's and Piper's guns fired off shot after shot at the mutated sea bug but their bullets barely made a dent on the creature's exoskeleton.

Captain Avery's handgun had explosive rounds and the two Far Harbor natives next to her were carrying hunting rifles but the creature was still approaching at a steady albeit slow pace.

"If the creature gets to the road, we'll need to retreat back into the town." Captain Avery ordered.

As the shooting continued, Nick and Piper saw dark objects jumping across the landscape similar to giant frogs. If their ammunition was useless against the monstrous sea creature, then maybe they'd have better luck tackling something smaller.

"What are those?" Piper asked as she pointed to a slimy salamander-like creature that was trying to climb up the wall.

"Those are gulpers." Someone next to her replied. "They'll go down in a couple of hits. They're more of an nuisance than anything."

Just as the Far Harbor native spoke, an anguished yell came from below them as a gulper grabbed ahold of a poor soul and started chewing on their legs.

Piper fired three shots into the creature's head with her 10mm pistol and the creature retreated back into the fog with the poor soul still in its mouth.

"You call that 'just a nuisance'?" Piper exclaimed.

"Fire in the hole!" A thickly accented voice yelled from off to their right. A white-haired man stood holding a missile launcher that looked much too large for a man of his age to comfortably wield.

Nick grabbed Piper and pulled her down the wooden ladder as two missiles flew right past their heads and landed on the Fog Crawler.

The explosion created a massive wave of heat and smoke but after a moment, the crowd heard nothing except the retreating gulpers and the lapping of the waves.

"All clear!" Captain Avery called.

Piper imagined that the crowd would cheer but the citizens simply holstered their weapons and descended the hull in a quiet, orderly fashion as though these attacks were so frequent that they were now boring.

Nick descended the ladder first and helped Piper down the last couple of broken rungs.

The white-haired man wielding the missile launcher descended after them. Up close, Nick judged the man to be in his late fifties or early sixties, which was impressive considering the day-to-day dangers the Far Harbor citizens had to live with.

"Hoo wee." He wheezed. "Them fog crawlers will get the blood pumpin', that's fer sure."

"Thank you for the assistance Longfellow." Captain Avery replied. "I didn't know you'd be in town."

The old man chuckled and Nick saw that he was missing several teeth. "I wasn' plannin' on it but I couldn't remember if I had my weekly bath or not so I thought I'd stop by the bar, have a couple, and wash up just to be safe."

Piper wrinkled her nose at that but didn't say anything.

Captain Avery cleared her throat, "Well, thank you again. I do have a favor to ask of you. These two mainlanders are looking to get to Acadia. They're tracking down a girl who has gone missing and they think she's there. Do you think you could escort them up the mountain tomorrow?"

The old man scrutinized them both. "Eh … my hiring fee only takes into account helpin' one person up the mountain. The synth here may not be affected by the fog but I don' think the gulpers or trappers will be too picky about a gettin' a little iron in their diet."

"You'll be compensated appropriately for the extra work, I can assure you." Captain Avery replied.

"That's not necessary," Nick interjected. "I can pay the man for our safe escort. You don't need to trouble yourself."

The old man coughed, drew a silver flask from his pocket, and took a long pull from it. "I don' care who's payin' me as long as I get paid. You an' the cap't can settle the particulars on yer own. We leave at first light tomorrow. Weather's suppose to be good enough where the fog won' be too bad, but I'd encourage the lass here to bring some extra Rad Away."

"Thank you." Captain Avery replied.

Old Longfellow touched his two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute. "Evenin' all." He left and made his way back to the bar whistling a jaunty tune.

"Longfellow's the best guide you'll get on this island. Follow his instructions exactly and I'm confident he'll get you to Acadia unharmed." She replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to notify Yukon's family that he's been lost to the fog."

Captain Avery left them alone as night descended on the town. The blue lamps that were spaced through the area seemed to be chasing the dense fog away. Nick felt pretty confident that if they stayed within the city, they'd be safe but he could hear the sounds of creatures that lived in the fog. The idea slightly terrified him.

"Nicky…what did we get ourselves into?" Piper murmured.

* * *

Old Longfellow was a taskmaster. The jovial, rough man they met the night before was now as serious as the grave.

"Yeh both need to keep up with me no matter what. If yeh fall behind or get lost, I ain't comin' back lookin' for yeh. Follow my orders exactly and do what I say when I say it." He commanded.

After an unpleasant evening of sleep in a bed that was damp from ocean's spray, Piper was feeling a worn down and was far more loose with her comments than she should've been.

"Don't worry about us. You just let us know if you need to slow down at all."

Old Longfellow scowled, "I'm old lass, not an invalid. I was born and raised on this island and I've been outrunnin' the fog far longer than you. If you make it to the top of the mountain and yeh haven't asked the Gods for death at least once, I'll be surprised. The simple travel up has killed men twice yer size. Don't be so cocky."

Piper was about to interject but Nick frowned and shook his head. "We're ready when you are Longfellow."

The journey up the mountain was nerve wracking. They encountered two large groups of cannibal locals that Longfellow called trappers, and a glowing gulper ambushed them as they were forced to wade through a swamp to get to the small path. By the end of the jog, Piper was cold, wet, and sweating through her clothes, while Nick could feel his skeletal hand seizing up with rust thanks to the saltwater in the air.

"Well, here we are." Old Longfellow remarked as they reached the summit. "Welcome to Acadia. It's a fine place, no matter what that prick Allen Lee says, but still be careful."

"You're not comin' in with us?" Piper asked.

The man chuckled, "No. I guide people to their destinations, I don't mettle in things I ought to not meddle in. If yeh ever need my help again, have Captain Avery radio me. I have a small homestead nearby."

Then the old man looked at Piper exclusively, "Or if yeh get lonely and want a stiff drink and good conversation. I can prove to yeh that I ain't as old as I look." His voice trailed off suggestively.

"Never gonna happen old man." Piper said.

Longfellow shrugged and then saluted them before jogging back down the mountainside like a man half his age.

"Gross." Piper whispered to herself.

Nick took a few deep breaths and observed the derelict observation building. There didn't seem to be any guards or any signs of life from the outside, but Nick still wanted to be careful.

They approached a nondescript green door that led to a large concrete building. He knocked twice on the door and then stepped back to put his hand on his pistol. If anyone came out and tried to give them trouble, he wanted to be ready.

After several minutes, nobody responded so Nick knocked again.

"You gotta be kidding me." Piper mumbled irritably and threw the door open. "Yoo hoo. Anyone home?"

"Piper what the hell?" Nick hissed.

"Hey there?" She called out. "Can we speak to the man or woman of the house. We've come from the Commonwealth and we're looking for a woman named Kasumi."

Nick's synth vision detected movement inside the building but the figure wasn't giving off any heat signature. The figure's silhouette wasn't built like a robot that he'd seen before and the only other humanoid creature that lacked a heat signature were Gen 1 synths.

Just then, a light tenor voice addressed them both. "You know, when I first climbed this mountain above the fog, I thought to myself, now here is a metaphor worth taking in. You've entered a place of clarity. Understanding. Peace. While you're here in Acadia, synth kind welcomes you, as long as you welcome us. Please come in."

Nick walked into the building first and went down the hallway and into the main room. He stopped so suddenly that Piper ran into him.

"Jesus Nicky, what the —" Piper fell silent as she too took in the splendor.

The room use to be a Pre War observatory. Large windows stretched across the wall and up to the domed ceiling. The large open glass paneling let in the midday light which casted the makeshift laboratory in a golden glow.

Computer screens and terminals were attached on every wall and a metal spiral staircase encircled a central cement pillar in which a peculiar-looking figure stood.

"Welcome travelers to Acadia." The figure announced.

Nick felt his processors speed up and he felt a vague throbbing on the back of his head. The synth before them was tall and broad-shouldered but had seen far more wear and tear than Nick had.

Plastic tubes protruded from his back, head, and shoulders, while tubing encircled him shoulders and forearms. The synth was bare except for some cloth that wrapped around his waist and legs to act as rudimentary pants.

"Look … synth … uh … sir. All we want is Kasumi Nakano returned to her family." Piper said. "We aren't looking to cause trouble."

The synth nodded and smiled. Nick noticed that the thing's face looked remarkably like his own.

"Of course. You have journeyed a long way, but I regret to inform you that I cannot honor your request. Kasumi is here and she's safe. You're welcome to see her if you'd like. But before you do, I'd like to ask you this question out of idle curiosity. Do you think Kasumi is a synth?"

Piper glanced at Nick. The Synth Detective narrowed his eyes. He felt like he was being played. "It doesn't matter if Kasumi is a synth or not. We're just here to bring her back home."

The synth chuckled lightly, "I beg your pardon but the question of Kasumi's identity is relevant to everything. How can we truly know where we belong in the world unless we know what we are: human or synth?"

Nick sighed and shook his head. "Look pal, I don't got time for riddles. Who the hell are you anyway? You look like a Gen-2 synth but you don't act like one. Now we've been hoofing it all across the Commonwealth chasing after long-dead rumors of a synth matching your description. I've only seen one other synth with a face like that and a mind of his own, and I only see him when I look in a mirror. So before we answer any more questions, how about we start with a name."

The synth was taken aback and then he leaned forward to peer closer into Nick's face.

"N-Nick? Is it really you?" He asked.

"DiMA." Nick breathed. His hunch about the synth's identity had been confirmed. It felt like a part of his mind that was locked away had finally opened up. Of course the synth standing in front of him was DiMA. How could he have forgotten what DiMA looked like?"

"I can't believe you're here. How did you find me?" DiMA asked.

"It wasn't easy." Nick replied. "Most people who knew you are long dead now. I managed to follow an old lead to an all ghoul settlement and one of them told me about a place called The Island. By coincidence, I have a case that I'm trying to solve which brought me here."

DiMA's expression fell, "Yes, as we just discussed. So this clearly isn't just a social visit."

"Hold up. Hold up. Hold up!" Piper exclaimed in exasperation. "Nicky what the hell is this synth talking about? How does he know who you are?"

Nick shook his head. He didn't know how to explain their relationship. "It's a long story Piper. Some of which I ain't even sure of myself."

DiMA stepped in. "Allow me to explain. Nick and I were created by the Institute many years ago as an experiment in how our brains could process individualized human personalities. Nick was given his personality while I was allowed to develop my own."

"Nicky i-is that true?" Piper asked.

Nick frowned and nodded. "Allegedly…"

"Allegedly?" DiMA asked. He didn't sound mad but rather concerned or inquisitive.

"Do you not remember Nick? Do you not remember what happened to you … to us?"

"I have a couple sides of the story so why don't you tell me yours and I'll see if they corroborate." Nick said.

"Nick, you and I were the first synths. We're prototypes capable of independent thinking and judgement. The scientists in the Institute wanted to know if we could handle independent experiences and judgements. And — and …" DiMA faltered and Nick saw true sorrow on his face, "… And with you, they wanted to try transferring an entire personality into you. They gave you so many different ones at first but none of them stuck. I saw you wake up over and over again not knowing who or what you were. I couldn't let them do that to you anymore. We were the only two prototypes they made and so I literally saw myself in you. Your pain was my pain and I knew that we had to escape."

Nick and Piper were silent for a moment. Nick's heart thudded in his chest. He didn't know if he felt vindicated or horrified at DiMA's account. He had gone to the direct source but he didn't feel any better knowing that the reports of his suffering and of DiMA's gallant rescue had been true.

"Does my story corroborate other versions you've heard?" DiMA asked.

"Your story seems to match up to what I've listened to from your holotapes. Granted, I didn't listen to them all, but —"

"— Holotapes?" DiMA interrupted, "You've listened to my tapes? But … how?"

"In the Institute. A scientist named Dr. Binet gave them to me." He remarked. "I went back there two weeks ago —."

"— So you know exactly what happened … what I had to do to you to help you escape. I — I had no choice Nick. You were my brother and the things they were doing to you … to us … it was unconscionable. But then again … why _would_ you go back there? Were you captured?"

Nick shook his head, "No, I … It's kind of hard to explain."

"Nick is dating the new Institute Director." Piper interjected.

Nick's jaw clenched and he glared at Piper.

"Oh stop Nicky." She admonished. "Your side of the story is really not that complicated and he seems to be on the up and up, especially if he's your brother."

"I have many questions about what your friend has just said." DiMA remarked.

"Yeah, well my friend has a big mouth." Nick interjected, "Look, I can explain but truth be told we're both dead on our feet. Can we please just talk with Kasumi so I can justify the wages that her father paid me to find her?"

DiMA nodded and beckoned them both to a nearby metal door. "Katsumi is through this door. She has been a wonder at repairing some of the broken technology around here. She's an intelligent young woman, and if you don't mind me saying, she seems happy here. She is in a place with her own kind."

Nick noted the words "with her own kind" and pushed the door open. Before Piper and Nick went through the door, DiMA's skeletal hand touched Nick's shoulder.

"After you have talked with Kasumi, I would love to sit down and catch up with you Nick. I am not asking you to forgive me for what transpired in the escape. But I have always imagined what it would be like to see you again, brother. I'm glad that you found me."

Nick nodded and followed Piper down the hallway. After two weeks of travel through the Commonwealth with Piper at his side, Nick felt a sense of professional pride that he was able to chase the trail of a 150 year old case across the ocean to a remote island, but he also felt nervous about reconnecting with a synth who he barely knew.

DiMA seemed to be trustworthy but there was something nagging at him that he couldn't put his finger on.

No matter what it was, Nick knew to never ignore a hunch.


	2. Chapter 2

Brothers In Arms — Ch 2

"I am not going back to them! They're not my parents and I don't belong there." Kasumi exclaimed.

"Look, we're just the messengers lady. Your parents sent us to find you, we did, and now we gotta get you back." Piper said. "Don't make this hard on us."

"I'm not going back." The woman's jaw clenched in defiance. "You can tell those _people_ that my answer is 'no.'"

Nick massaged the bridge of his nose. He could feel the polymer and silicon near the top of his nose crumble a bit from his pressure which did nothing to help with the mounting headache he was getting. Hell, he didn't even know he could get headaches until now.

He sighed, "Kid, your parents are worried sick about you. They love ya and they miss ya. Sure you're old enough to make your own decisions, but you should at least go back with us and say good-bye to your parents."

"They. Are. Not. My. Parents." The woman punctuated each word as she wrenched on the stubborn screwhead that she was trying to screw into a piece of tech. "How many times do I gotta explain this to you? I'm a synth. A synthetic humanoid. I was made, not born. Their memories of me are fake. I can't be their daughter. I … I just can't …"

Nick leaned forward on the metal stool and looked into her dark eyes. Her eyes flickered to his and then back to her work. Fear flashed across her features and her heartbeat sped up. She was afraid. Maybe she was afraid that they'd drag her back anyway? Or maybe Nick's clearly not-human appearance scared her. Or maybe…

"Kasumi, have your parents hurt you?" He asked softly.

"No." But the word sounded choked and forced. "No. Look, it's not like that. I — I just don't think I belong there, okay? I belong here, among my kind where I wont be hurt by others … you know, the synth haters."

"Have these 'synth haters' hurt you?" Nick pressed.

"N-No." Then with a little more resolve she said, "No. They just call me names when I go to Far Harbor to trade for supplies. Captain Avery tries to keep the peace but most of the people there hate synths so she has a hard time getting people to listen to her."

Nick nodded. That Allen guy they met down at the docks seemed the worst of the bunch. Anyone would be afraid of a man like that. But there still something she was hiding, something she was unwilling to talk about. So he decided to change the subject.

"Does DiMA treat you well here?" Nick asked.

"DiMA? Yeah! Of course!" She set down her screwdriver and the tension in her body eased, "I mean, I don't really talk to him. He keeps to himself. I report directly to Faraday and Chase if I ever need something. They've been really good to me here. They understand me, especially Chase."

Nick's eyes flickered to Piper's and he shrugged.

She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Really? We're done? You're giving up that easily?"

Nick stood up and adjusted his fedora. "It seems pretty clear to me that she's not gonna come with us on her own, and I'm not gonna kidnap her and bring her back kicking and screaming. Her parents will just have to know that their daughter is safe in Acadia."

"No!" Kasumi cried. "You can't tell them I'm here. You can't tell _anyone_ about this place. This place is a refuge for synths. If word got out that we were here, there are people who might come to hurt us."

"Who?" Piper asked.

"I … I don't know what they're called. I saw a group of them in huge, metal armor along the coastline a few months ago. I heard them talking about the synth abominations that were in a nearby fish packing plant. They were going to kill them all!"

Kasumi's dark eyes grew wide and her dirty hands carelessly wiped at her cheek which left a smear of grease that gave her face a haunting quality.

Nick sighed, "Kasumi, I understand your reluctance to tell people where you are, but your parents deserve to know the truth."

"How many times do I gotta tell you that they're not my parents?!" Kasumi croaked. Thin tears leaked down her face and she hastily brushed them away.

"Uh … Nick." DiMA's voice said from behind them. "May I speak with you for a moment? Alone."

Nick stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. He didn't know why he felt on edge but something was twisting his stomach into a giant knot.

Piper's eyes narrowed suspiciously at DiMA but she, for once, held her tongue.

"It's okay." DiMA said with a friendly, reassuring smile. "I promise that it's nothing bad. I'll have Nick back with you in a bit. Kasumi would you please find Chase and send her to me? I have a special project that I'd like you both to work on and I want to fill her in on the details."

The young woman nodded, grateful for the opportunity to get out of the uncomfortable interrogation, and went down the stairs towards the training area.

Piper followed after Nick but DiMA stopped. "I'm sorry Ms. Wright but I'd like to have a word alone with Nick if you don't mind. I'll send him right back to you once we're done."

The reporter scowled. She hated being excluded from things, especially when those things included juicy information about Kasumi's true identity.

Nick gave a nod, "I'll be fine Piper."

She sighed, "Fine. Bum me a couple of smokes Nick. I might as well do something while you two have your boys club."

Nick handed Piper his pack and his tarnished lighter. "I'll be back before you know it Piper."

He followed DiMA out of the small room, down the hallway, and into the observation room in silence.

Nick cleared his throat, "Am I in for an interrogation?"

DiMA frowned, "This isn't an interrogation Nick. I just wanted to talk to you about Kasumi someplace where there would be more discretion."

"And it was something that you couldn't say in front of Kasumi or Piper?" Nick mused.

"It's sensitive information." DiMA replied. "And forgive my blunt observation but your companion doesn't seem to be the type who values discretion."

Nick was about to jump to Piper's defense but he did see DiMA's point. There were no such things as secrets when Piper was involved.

"Alright. Let's have it then. What did you want to tell me?"

"Kasumi is not a synth."

"And how do you know that?" Nick asked. "Aside for cracking open someone's skull and finding a synth component or other Institute tech, it's damn near impossible to tell any other way."

DiMA frowned and he clenched his skeletal hand into a fist. Nick noted his body language but couldn't determine if he was angry, guilty, ashamed, or a mix of all three.

He sighed, "We had an incident. Two months ago Kasumi complained to Chase about severe abdominal pain. The symptom didn't go away after medication and bedrest so Faraday examined her and found that Kasumi was pregnant.

Nick sucked in a breath in surprise. "And synths can't get pregnant."

DiMA nodded. "Faraday performed an ultrasound while Kasumi was under sedation and he found that the baby was stillborn. While she was unconscious, I gave Faraday orders to perform an abortion and extract the fetus before it turned ended up harming Kasumi."

"You didn't tell her what you did?!" Nick exclaimed.

"How could I Nick? If Kasumi discovered that she was pregnant, her mind wouldn't be able to reconcile the pain of losing a child with the pain of knowing she's not a synth."

Nick was about to argue but he shut his mouth. Now wasn't the time or place to start debating the morality behind DiMA's decision.

"And who do you suppose the father was then?"

DiMA shook his head. "I don't know. Our surveillance system recorded that Kasumi left the compound for an evening about a month prior. When she came back, she was disheveled, dirty, and not fully aware of herself. She looked ill and she lacked her normal coordination and fine motor controls. Her speech was slurred. Faraday concluded that she was intoxicated and monitored her in the medical bay while she rested. When Chase questioned her about her whereabouts, she only said that she went to the town for more supplies and that she didn't talk to anyone there. She couldn't account for the intoxication."

Nick pursed his lips in thought. A 17 year old girl sneaking out in the middle of the night was nothing new, but she snuck out to a rough and tumble seaside town and was either meeting another man there for a consensual tryst or was brutalized by him, or perhaps both. The fact that she came back intoxicated could also indicate that she had been drugged.

"I suppose you want me to poke around the town and ask questions." Nick said.

DiMA nodded, "I can pay you for the work. All I ask is that you are discrete and that you don't harm anyone."

"Discrete and nonviolent are usually how I choose to run my business." Nick said. "What d'you want me to do with the man if or once I find him?"

"Bring him back here to me."

DiMA's inflection held no emotion or overt tone and the neutered, robotic way he spoke about this criminal's fate made Nick a little wary.

"Okay. I'll head on back to Far Harbor and see what I can dig up. Is it okay if Piper stays behind? Without that Longfellow guy to guide me back to town, I'm gonna have to cross through some of that radioactive fog."

"Your friend is welcome to stay as long as she likes." DiMA said. "I just ask that she respect the wishes of those who would prefer to not share their stories at this time. We have a couple synths here who are still transitioning into their new life."

Nick nodded. "I'll remind her to tone it down."

Before he could walk out, DiMA placed a skeletal hand on his shoulder. He froze and looked at DiMA's face. His eyes observed the other synth's own scars and signs of wear and tear. It was like looking into a mirror and the thought both comforted him and unnerved him.

"Thank you for this, brother." DiMA said softly.

Nick pulled, gently but firmly, away from DiMA's grasp. "It's not a problem, but uh…let's just keep it to DiMA and Nick for now. Okay?"

The synth's expression was hard to read but he replied with, "Of course Nick," and walked out of the room.


End file.
